Luggage construction



July 21, 1964 J. F. FULTON 3,141,536

LUGGAGE CONSTRUCTION Filed Oct 24. 1962 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. /4 /9 6/ 22 JaM-sfifluu-oA ATTORNEYS y 1964 J. F. FULTON LUGGAGE CONSTRUCTION 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 24, 1962 INVENTOR. JAMES 5/214 70 1! I, ATTORNEYS July 21, 1964 J. F. FULTON 3,141,536

LUGGAGE CONSTRUCTION Filed Oct. 24, 1962 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 I ll III/ll gf4 I14 0 44 4546 48 A T'TOR NE YS United States Patent 3,141,536 LUGGAGE CGNS'IRUCTIGN James F. Fulton, Marnaroneck, N.Y., assignor to Peters Bag Corporation, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Oct. 24, 1952, Ser. No. 232,694 2 Claims. (Cl. 19041) This invention relates generally to luggage, and is especially concerned with sturdy, lightweight luggage as might be used in airplane travel.

Bags of this general type of construction usually have a fabric bottom wall, a pair of semielliptical or semicircular side walls, and a combination top and end wall extending along the upper peripheries of the side walls. This combination top and end wall is in two sections divided along substantially its longitudinal center line, and the two sections are releasably interconnected by a separable slide fastener. The slider of this fastener has an operating tab connected thereto, in a known manner, and this tabe usually has some type of locking means for preventing unauthorized access to the interior of the bag. When the slide fastener is closed, the operating tab with its locking means is usually positioned in a lock receptacle which is either on top of the bag or on the side wall adjacent the closed position of the slider. Thus, the operating tab and its lock will project beyond the bag and may catch in other bags or in clothing, causing damage thereto.

Another problem often faced by the airplane traveler is locating his bag upon arrival at a destination. There is a time consuming delay after landing during which personal luggage must be located, usually only by means of a baggage check.

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a luggage bag construction which obviates the above-mentioned difficulties, which is easy to manufacture and which is highly attractive to the consumer.

The instant invention contemplates the provision of a luggage bag having rigid top, bottom, and side walls, and recessed soft fabric front and rear walls, with slide fastener means integrated into the peripheries of the side and front walls to present the appearance of a much larger bag. Furthermore, the top wall is provided with a gusset, whose outer surface is coincident with the top, containing a recess to receive the operating tab and its attached lock, when the slide fastener is fully closed. Thus, the tab and lock will be flush with the outer dimensions of the bag, and there will be no protrusions to cause damage.

As a feature of the invention, the top wall is provided with a transparent pocket containing colored indicia stripes to allow simple and easy personal identification of the luggage bag at a distance.

Thus it is an object of the present invention to provide a luggage bag of the character described having slide fastener means to allow access to the interior of the bag, the slide fastener means being integrated into the luggage.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide means to locate the slide fastener operating tab and lock when the slide fastener is fully closed so that they will not protrude beyond the dimensions of the bag.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide means to allow personal identification or" the luggage bag at a distance.

Other objects of the present invention will become apparent upon reading the following specification and referring to the accompanying drawings, which form a material part of this disclosure.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combinations of elements and arrangements of parts, which will be exemplified in the construction hereinafter described, and of which the scope will be indicated by the appended claims.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view showing a luggage case of the present invention with the slide fastener closed and the operating tab and lock located in the recess in the galsset on the top wall;

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of the luggage case, showing the transparent pocket containing the colored indica stripes;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged partial perspective view illustrating the flap on the top wall, showing the lock located without the recess;

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3, however, showing the lock positioned within the recess;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 5--5 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 66 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional View taken along line 77 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of a color combination of three indica stripes; and

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 9-9 of FIG. 2.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings and specifically to FIG. 1 thereof, a luggage case is generally designated 11 as including a bototm wall 11, side walls 12, a top wall 13, a hinged or openable front wall 14, and a rear wall 15.

As best seen in FIG. 7, a frame 17 is formed of the interconnected rigid top, bottom and side walls 12, 11, 13, although the frame may comprise a single piece of material. Rear wall 15 is of fabric, and is connected at its edges to the rigid walls to close one side of the bag. Front wall 14, also of fabric, is hingedly connected at its lower edge 16 to the bottom wall 11 and serves as a closure for the other side of the luggage case. A separable slide fastener assembly F releasable connects the outer edges of front wall 14 to each of the other rigid frame walls.

Both of the fabric walls are inwardly recessed from the top, bottom, and side walls so as to provide them with greater protection.

The rigid frame walls are covered by one or more sheets of simulated leather or plastic 18. An additional reinforcing strip 19, of plastic, may be located near the edges of the wall to provide greater strength at this area. Fabric 20 covers the inner surface of supporting frame 17. Plastic facings 18 and 19 may be joined by stitching as at 21. At the front of the bag, the joined edges of facings 18 and 19, which project outwardly beyond front wall 13, are covered by a U-shaped piece of heavy plastic stripping 22 telescoped over them. The outer stringer, strip 23 of slide fastener F engages the inner wall of stripping 22, being secured thereto by stitching. Strip 22 encloses the edge of wall 13 and telescopes over part 23a of stringer strip 23. Strip 22, part 2311, and layers 18, 19 are united by means of stitching 25. The other stringer 27 has its fabric portion 28 provided with a portion 29 which, together with the free edge 31 of front wall 14, is received within U-shaped or channel plastic member 30. Positioned between the portions 31 and 29 is a plastic, flexible wedge or insert 33. The parts 31 and 29, the wedge 33, and the channel strip 30 are joined by means of stitching 34.

Separable slide fastener F has an operating member 35 comprising a slider 36 and a tab 37 rotatably and pivotally connected to slider 36. Looking at FIG. 1, when the operating member 35 is in the extreme righthand position, the front wall may be drawn fully back. When the operating member 35 is in its extreme lefthand position, as shown in the figure, the front 14 is fully closed.

Referring now to FIGS. 3-6, there is located in the rear lefthand corner of the front Wall 14, a gusset 40. Said gusset is made from simulated leather or flexible plastic material. It is stitched to fabric 32 of front wall 14 as at 41 at its inner edge, and is received between fabric 32 and edging 22 along its outer edge. Positioned within the central portion of gusset 40 is a rigid unit 42, of metal or rigid plastic, comprising an inner clamping member 43 and an outer member 44. Member 44 has barbed tabs which are received within openings in plate 43. The tabs also pass through the fabric wall 32 and flap 41 before passing through the openings in member 43. The barbed tabs are then pressed against the surface of member 43,

holding member 44 in place with respect to member 43 and gusset 40.

Member 44 has a centrally elongated recess 45, having a bottom wall 46 which slopes inwardly from the plane of the surface of front wall 14, and has parallel walls 46' spaced from the periphery, a distance of slightly more than half of the length of the recess, then provided with an inwardly sloping portion 46a, and then continuing in spaced relation to each other the remaining length of the recess, eventually being joined by a rounded end wall 47. A bar 48, with a slightly raised central portion, joins the walls 46 slightly beyond the inner portions 46a.

Attached to tab 37 by means of a link 49 is a lock 50 having a resiliently biased depressible lock element 51 having an abutting end surface 52. The element 51 is normally biased to the outwardly extended position, as shown in FIG. 3, and can be maintained in that position by locking the element so that it cannot be squeezed inwardly.

When it is desired to lock the bag so that unauthorized individuals are unable to obtain access to the interior, the operating tab is moved to its extreme lefthand position, closing the slide fastener so that it is in the position illustrated in FIG. 3. Then the lock is placed in the recess 45, with element 51 being resiliently depressed under bar 48 (FIG. 4). When the surfaces 53 of lock 50 abut surface inner portions 4611 of side walls 46, the lock is in its lowermost position, and element 51 will have moved past bar 48 so that the abutting surface 52 will be adjacent bar 48. Then the element 51 is locked so that it may not be depressed, and accordingly, it will be impossible to Withdraw lock 50 from the recess until the unit is unlocked.

Front wall 13 of the bag has a handle 60 of any esthetic shape attached to the wall by any well known means. Positioned below the handle or grip is a pocket 61 having a transparent face 62 so that indicia within the pocket may be readily apparent. As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the pocket 61 is attached to front wall 13 by stitching designated by reference numeral 63. Colored indicia stripes 64, 65 and 66 are placed in a combination personally known to the user of the bag. When the desired combination is completed, it is slid into the pocket, as designated by arrow 67 (FIG. 9). Thus, the user, knowing his particular color combination, may spot his luggage bag at a distance, and can immediately direct attention to it without having to wait for a baggage check match- While a specific embodiment of the invention has been shown and described in detail to illustrate the application of the principles of the invention, it will be understood that the invention may be embodied otherwise without departing from such principles,

What is claimed is:

1. A lightweight luggage case comprising (a) a frame including interconnected rigid top, bottom and side walls;

(1)) a fabric rear wall connected at its edges to said rigid Walls to close one side of the bag;

(0) a fabric front wall hingedly connected at one edge of one of said rigid walls and serving as a closure for the other side of the luggage case;

((1) a separable slide fastener releasably connecting the other edges of said front wall to each of the other rigid frame walls, said slide fastener having a slider and an operating tab connected to said slider;

(e) means in said front wall, adjacent the closed position of said slider, forming an elongated recess arranged to receive said operating tab, said recess having a bar extending thereacross; and

(f) a resiliently biased depressible lock element on said tab engageable in said recess and movable beneath said bar by depression against the resilient bias of said lock element, said lock element, after passing beneath said bar, being resiliently biased to an extended position in which it has a surface engageable with said bar to prevent retraction of said operating tab from said recess except upon depression of said lock element.

2. A lightweight luggage comprising (a) a frame including interconnected rigid top, bottom and side Walls;

(b) a fabric rear wall connected at its edges to said rigid walls to close one side of the bag;

(0) a fabric front wall hingedly connected at one edge of one of said rigid walls and serving as a closure for the other side of the luggage case;

(d) a separable slide fastener releasably connecting the other edges of said front wall to each of the other rigid frame walls, said slide fastener having a slider and an operating tab connected to said slider;

(e) a rigid gusset in said front wall, adjacent the closed position of said slider, forming an elongated recess arranged to receive said operating tab, said recess having a bar extending thereacross; and

(f) a resiliently biased depressible lock element on said tab engageable in said recess and movable beneath said bar by depression against the resilient bias of said lock element, said lock element, after passing beneath said bar, being resiliently biased to an extended position in which it has a surface engageable with said bar to prevent retraction of said operating tab from said recess except upon depression of said lock element.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,373,089 Mann Mar. 29, 1921 1,512,332 Goewey Oct. 21, 1924 1,618,073 Flint Feb. 15, 1927 2,481,565 Boretz Sept. 13, 1949 2,746,581 Ritter May 22, 1956 2,822,013 Renz Feb. 4, 1958 2,985,265 Gehrie May 23, 1961 3,023,867 Kotkins Mar. 6, 1962 3,084,771 Davis Apr. 9, 1963 FOREIGN PATENTS 5,286 Great Britain of 1892 

1. A LIGHTWEIGHT LUGGAGE CASE COMPRISING (A) A FRAME INCLUDING INTERCONNECTED RIGID TOP, BOTTOM AND SIDE WALLS; (B) A FABRIC REAR WALL CONNECTED AT ITS EDGES TO SAID RIGID WALLS TO CLOSE ONE SIDE OF THE BAG; (C) A FABRIC FRONT WALL HINGEDLY CONNECTED AT ONE EDGE OF ONE OF SAID RIGID WALLS AND SERVING AS A CLOSURE FOR THE OTHER SIDE OF THE LUGGAGE CASE; (D) A SEPARABLE SLIDE FASTENER RELEASABLY CONNECTING THE OTHER EDGES OF SAID FRONT WALL TO EACH OF THE OTHER RIGID FRAME WALLS, SAID SLIDE FASTENER HAVING A SLIDER AND AN OPERATING TAB CONNECTED TO SAID SLIDER; (E) MEANS IN SAID FRONT WALL, ADJACENT THE "CLOSED" POSITION OF SAID SLIDER, FORMING AN ELONGATED RECESS ARRANGED TO RECEIVE SAID OPERATING TAB, SAID RECESS HAVING A BAR EXTENDING THEREACROSS; AND 